Man Utd news: Star Ruben Amorim axed heavily praised as Paul Scholes calls for double exit

It's deja vu all over again for Ruben Amorim, whose Manchester United squad has persisted with the dismal form that plagued them at the close of last season, despite investing a staggering £230million on fresh talent during the summer window. The transfer period proved hectic regarding arrivals and departures for the Premier League outfit, who secured the signatures of players including Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens at Old Trafford.

Amongst the numerous exits from United was Marcus Rashford, who departed for Barcelona on a temporary deal until the end of the season. The England international has received praise following his switch, which might prompt the 40-year-old manager to regret his choice to permit a striker who netted 138 times for the club to depart.

Paul Scholes has similarly voiced his views regarding Amorim's judgment to keep certain players within the squad. Alongside remarks about Rashford's La Liga beginning, two United players have faced harsh words from a club legend merely one month into the fresh season as here are the most recent updates from Old Trafford.

Rashford hailed as incredible

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has branded Rashford "incredible", even though Ruben Amorim excluded him from his Manchester United blueprint. The Three Lions forward last featured for his childhood club in December 2024 before being dropped from the matchday squad later that month for the Manchester City clash alongside Alejandro Garnacho.

Rashford, 27, departed United a month afterwards to join Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the campaign, where he rediscovered his scoring touch. Nevertheless, following his return to Old Trafford this summer, he was among five players informed by Amorim to seek fresh opportunities elsewhere.

A switch to the Spanish heavyweights materialised for Rashford, who is spending the campaign on loan at Barcelona. The German recently said of Rashford: "I've been following Marcus Rashford since his early days at Manchester United and I've always thought he's incredible. What I've seen these past few weeks is very good."

Scholes tells duo to leave

With Amorim having pressed for Rashford's departure, the Portuguese manager also sanctioned five exits, via permanent transfers or loans, with Andre Onana, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho all leaving. Nevertheless, two players who remained at Old Trafford have faced criticism from Scholes, who directed his fury towards Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw for continuing as Manchester United stars.

Maguire, 32, has managed just 41 minutes of Premier League action this campaign, while Shaw, 30, has featured in every match as Scholes bemoaned their absence of athleticism and declared they fall short of their rivals' standards. Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, he declared: "I don't think the system was the problem against Manchester City. It's more the personnel.

"United lack real athletes," he said before targeting Maguire and Shaw specifically. "In the Premier League, you almost have to be like a machine to survive, and we've got people like Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. They are not at the level. In 85 to 90 per cent of games, they will probably cope with people, but when you come to the bigger games, against City, Liverpool and Arsenal, they are going to fall short."

With Shaw suffering 29 injuries since his 2014 arrival at United, Scholes pondered the toll these persistent setbacks have taken on his physique. "You think of the injuries Shaw has had.

"He must have the body of a 40-year-old man because he's had that many injuries and missed that much football. If he'd stayed fit, he could've been the best left-back in the world. Now, he's playing left-sided centre-half. He really shouldn't be at the club anymore.

"He should have left along with Harry Maguire in the summer. United should have brought in one or two new centre-halves." Scholes believes that his former club missed a golden opportunity to cash in on Maguire, who now looks set to play a reduced role this season.

"Maguire has had so much stick, it's hard to be tough on him because he came back from it," he explained. "But I think they had a chance this summer to sell. They renewed his one-year option. I just didn't understand that. It was a great chance for him to leave. They might have got £20 or £30 million for him. It was the ideal time. Maybe because he's good in the dressing room, or good around the place, but football-wise, it's just not right."